Freeze-Dried Strawberries Are The Secret To More Vibrant Cakes And Frostings
Freeze-dried strawberries are an innovative way to pack fruity flavor and color into your cakes and frosting. You can buy the berries in powder form or use a food processor to grind them up to get a concentrated strawberry powder. Add it to the frosting of a light and airy chantilly cake with berries for a fruity finish, or put a swirl of strawberry to a French yogurt cake.
When strawberries go through the freeze-drying process, they lose their water — so they quickly add fruity flavor to cakes and frostings without increasing liquid to the batter or your buttercream, as many fresh fruits or compotes might.
Right before baking, you can loosely swirl strawberry powder into a cake batter for a marbled appearance. If you want to create a solid pink cake, sift your freeze-dried strawberry powder into the dry ingredients to prevent patchiness.
The total amount you add depends on the depth of color and fruity flavor you desire. The same principle applies when combining the strawberry powder into frosting. If you want to forego using the powder, you can sprinkle crushed freeze-dried strawberries into a cake batter or frosting for pops of color and flavor.
One way to level up a cake is by brushing on a freeze-dried strawberry-infused simple syrup. Simple syrups are a baker's best friend when it comes to moistening a dry cake. You only need some freeze-dried fruit powder, sugar, and water to create a fruity, lightly colored simple syrup.
Freeze dried fruit can be a versatile tool in baking
There are plenty of other ways to incorporate freeze-dried strawberries beyond using them in batter and frosting. Try adding a couple of tablespoons of freeze-dried powder to create the perfect fuschia strawberry glaze for donuts, for example.
Other freeze-dried fruit powders offer a rainbow of natural color options. Use goldenberries or mangoes for a yellowish hue and a bright flavor. Raspberries provide a vibrant pop of pink and a tart finish, or blueberries can be used for a rich blue-purple that's subtly sweet.
Freeze-dried fruits can also help bakers create stunning designs and decorations. Crush the vibrant freeze-dried fruit to use it as a decorative element, like sprinkles to top off any pastry. For a rustic yet charming finish, you can adorn the tops of your desserts with freeze-dried strawberry slices. For something more subtle, sift freeze-dried strawberry powder over sweets for a dusting of color and fruity flavor.